Developing kids writing skills at home

Kids develop their writing skills after they reach 1.5 years old. At 15 months, they start scrubbing the books with a pencil or pen. Some kids may develop these writing skills slowly. My elder son took 2.5 years to just scribble lines and circles in the book. He just started writing his first alphabet ‘A’ perfectly when he was 5 years old. So just scribbling and writing neatly is a very big difference among kids. When we see our 2-year-old draw lines on the book we think they will start writing everything very soon now. I also thought the same when my kids drew lines all over the walls, furniture, floor, and books when they were just 2 years old. Later I understood that making them write a single alphabet required so much patience, hard work, and consistency. Some kids may learn fast but some kids are always slow.

Making them write a single alphabet is a very big task for a parent or a teacher. Teachers cannot put as much effort as a parent. Only parents can make them write those first alphabets and numbers comfortably without any fear and tension according to me because kids feel safe and comfortable with their parents only. No matter how good the teacher is, she will always remain a stranger to the kid. So it’s a parent’s responsibility to make your kid feel safe, comfortable, and fun when you teach something new to your kid.  It will take a lot of practice, patience, and dedication to make your kids write the alphabet neatly. So you have to be mentally prepared first.

Learning or speaking may come easily by listening or following others. But writing comes only when you practice daily and give it at least some hour from your busy day. Giving a gap of 5 days to one week in between can make your kid forget how to write. And as working parents, we always be busy the whole day with household work and office work. If you cannot give time to your kid to practice letters in a book daily, you can make him practice while doing your work too. Just give him a pencil and a tracing alphabet and number practice book. These books are now available everywhere in bookstores, online, and in normal supermarkets too. You need to keep an eye on them and tell them to write while you’re working. They will write the same alphabet 10 to 20 times in that book. Encourage them to write by praising them continuously, giving them something good to eat, or giving them their favorite toy.

In older days, we learned to write alphabets by tracing them 10 times on a slate with chalk pieces. Since books are available now you can give them books. The books look interesting as there are many pictures in them and look colorful. Nowadays many parents and teachers tell us that to learn to write the alphabet, we should first learn to draw straight lines, sleeping lines, curvy lines, circles, and many shapes. Tracing all these things is the beginning of the writing journey for kids. It will take time. You have to be very patient. Kids may not show interest in writing, they may write wrong, they may show tantrums, and they may even tear the books. Just be patient and tell them how reading and writing will help them in the future. My son took one year to completely write one alphabet neatly and on his own without copying or tracing.

Make Writing Fun:-

• Give them different books to write and trace.
• Buy them alphabets and number toys. These are easily available online nowadays.
• Try writing on different colored papers.
• Encourage your kid to write on his favorite toy.
• Make alphabet shapes with clay, sticks, earbuds, and other things.
• Write an alphabet or a number and tell your kid to color them.
• If your kid finds it difficult to write, help him and make him write with your hand.
• Science says that kids should first learn to cut papers with scissors and learn to draw different kinds of lines. This will help his fingers move and help in fast learning to write fast. But I don’t believe in all this Because when we studied, we didn’t do all these things. According to me, everything comes on its own with age, practice, and consistency. We cannot force a 3-year-old kid to start cutting papers or writing alphabets like adults. It’s impossible for them as their hands, brains, and fingers are still growing.
• Writing time should be like playtime. Let your kid explore whatever he wants to write and what letter he chooses.
• Painting is another best option to help your kid learn to write. You can give any alphabet and tell your baby to paint it. Since all kids like to color and paint, they will paint them perfectly. and hence learn the shapes of alphabets and numbers.
• Buy a small table and chair for your kid to write and study in his room. Sometimes your kids might get bored sitting at the same table every day. At that time you can make them write in the garden, park, terrace, and under the sky.
• I bought a small laptop table for my kid to practice writing. To improve his posture while writing. But he used to get bored sitting at the same table and in the same place. So I tried to change places, rooms, tables, and even books. Sometimes I gave him pencils, pens, colored pens, sketch pens, crayons, paint, and sometimes markers too.
• Try asking your baby alphabet names when you go out. Like the mall names, park names, the letters written on his shirt, the names of his toys, etc. This will help him to continuously memorize and observe every letter.
• Talk to your baby about words, letters, and numbers whenever you are free.